Question: How to be a Good Martial Arts Teacher?

Remember 5 questions in 5 days? That seemed to go over well so I figured I would take some more questions.

This one is a doozy: “How does one learn to become a good teacher? Can lower ranking students teach?”

When considering this question I quickly realized that I couldn’t create a prescription for what makes a good teacher. There are far too many varied approaches that can work given the right personality and skillset. Nevertheless, I think I distilled some ideas that can help in recognizing the path of a “sensei” in the classical sense (that is to say, what a sensei was meant to be and what they can be in the modern world). Please enjoy:

I know this video is pretty extensive, so here is a breakdown of some of the main bullet points I touched upon for your notes and reference:

What a Good Teacher Isn’t

A Coach

A coach is responsible for the physical performance and readiness of his athletes.

Some modern instructors do fit that description, especially in the realm of MMA athletes and tournament competitors (like tkd olympics).

The classical sensei’s subject matter is far more pressing. They are concerned with their students taking other human life in their hands. They have to impart the mental and character skillset to recognize the repercussions of damaging a life, not just on the targeted person, but on their family, on the student, on the student’s family, and in a broader sense, deciding what kind of societal impact the decision process will have (will this individual go on to hurt others?).

There is also inherent right and wrong matters that a sensei must address. Whenever we see a martial artist doing something disgraceful, we suggest that his/her sensei should have helped him/her in controlling their abilities. In old times, every action of a student reflected upon the sensei significantly, so there was a deeper connection than mere coaching.

A Life Guru

Being a sensei does not grant someone automatic license to give advice on all life matters.

Most sensei are not professional trained psychologists, therapists, financial experts, etc. Therefore they are not qualified to give relationship advice, financial advice, etc etc.

In classical times, the sensei or sifu was a much more integrated part of village life. Their training often made them not just the most deadly individual, but also the best trained in medicine, herbs, physiology, and more general education like literacy, government policy, etc etc. These sensei were highly integrated into a town’s ecosystem. Sometimes farmers would ask advice for when to plant crops and parents would seek out help for naming their children (so as to avoid bad luck).

That is no longer the case for modern sensei. In our connected society we have real professionals that do all these other things, and modern sensei are not trained to be village counselors.

A Good Teacher…

finds the proper balance between coach and guru.

will focus on passing on the curriculum as it was handed down to them, preserving it as best as possible for the students to explore. They’ll resist the ego stroke of flavoring everything with their own flair.

will understand how to minimize the politics of rank and ego.

will find the balance between physical technique, mental tuning, and character development. Too much of one will begin to sacrifice the others.

will understand when to guide students strictly and when to allow them space to explore on their own.

will do their best to help their students surpass them, giving them tools when they are ready and without ego-based restrictions.

will recognize the difference between a student who is ready for higher learning, and one who has yet to develop the right character.

To learn how to become a good teacher, you need to pinpoint those unique aspects of instructors you’ve met and absorb them. You need to find ways to embody those things that a teacher should be and avoid those things a teacher shouldn’t be. That’s why lower rank students can help teach. They can assist higher ranks or even take classes once in awhile. But it takes many years of analyzing their instructor and understanding what makes him/her so special in order to integrate that into themselves, and be able to use it to benefit students.

I love this! I have always viewed myself as moving toward the goal of being a spiritual, intelectual and physical leader in my community. So a Coach i am not, and although i distain to use mma as an example, GSP was right on when he was teaching on the ultimate fighter had had this quote that i love: “I don’t care if they dont win one fight, I am here to make them better fighters than they were when they come here to train.” That about sums up how i feel, If I can see personal growth and awareness being devoloped in a student, it is much better than the fiercest side kick or the quickest punch.
I also want to point out that training is quite selfish or at least it can be. When you start teaching you begin to notice little things done wrong, then you ask, who is their example? where did they learn this? well from you silly!!! then a good teacher corrects his mistakes and many times his master will notice (this was my case). This is natural as nobody does everything really well and for your first BB you are expected to have some things that you are weak at. Its all part of the growing process.

The one thing that i have a little diferent POV on is the changing of the art. My master Kyung Woo Choi says that no ones Chang Woo (Chang Woo Hapkido) is the same, so we will never really teach it the same and to try is futile. After training for a coupla years Master Choi said my boxing was weak so i went to a boxer and focused on that for a year, then when i came back, “Ohh your boxing is excellent, but your Judo.tsk tsk tsk…. Part of our advancement is to come up with a weapons/open hand form for our second degree test. and guess what when i began teaching Master Choi insisted i exchange this form for the red belt form i had learned, why… Because i was weakest at the red belt form. I also had stundents ask me about BJJ when Master Choi was observing. After class he asked me to intergrate Bjj defence into the course, for obvious reasons. Long story short, We should instead teach what we know and are good at, be humble, and don’t try to act like you are the best around (Since no-one is “the best”).

Gdean2

Very Well done ! Thank you for sharing this !

http://www.ikigaiway.com Ikigai108

Thank you for your thoughts Ernest :-). Appreciated.

Matt Klein

“will do their best to help their students surpass them, giving them tools when they are ready and without ego-based restrictions”Particularly like that one. So true.
To me, the teacher must be passionate about teaching and especially his or her subject. The teacher must have the desire to be the best at what they do.